Okay, maybe I'll talk to you.
It went well. A little long, but manageable.
I woke up to the soothing sounds of my alarm's beeping at a beautiful 8:15. Having dressed and whatnot, I headed to Chem 194 15 minutes early to ensure a good seat. Front and center, a place I'm well used to, especially in that building.
We mostly went over the syllabus, policy, and the usual first day activities. No actual learning. To make the day interesting, however, he decided to give a demonstration.
As a requirement of Chemistry professors, Professor Kelly likes to blow things up. He has that devilish grin and laugh when it comes to explosives. Because of this nature, it was a moderately poor idea for me to sit in the front row.
He had three balloons filled with various gasses. The first was filled with a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen. He proceeded to stick a match underneath the balloon.
I might mention that beforehand he anounced that if there are any students who can't handle loud noises to move to the back of the classroom or leave. Come to think of it, he probably should have included those with motion sickness or the pregnant. I'm sure that's a law, at least here in California.
Anyway, the balloon exploded. It wasn't so much an explosion as it was an atomic blast. Sure, it didn't blow up anything, but it probably should have. It sent a pulse throughout the giant lecture hall. I could feel my chest go in then out. The chalk on the board rippled off the board, leaving a cloud for quite a while afterwards. Not to mention, it was louder than when some guys launched a water balloon at the door in the study lounge while I was inside.
Then he lit the balloon containing pure oxygen. It broke.
Then he lit the balloon containing pur hydrogen. A big ball of fire took its place. Impressive, but not something I could feel in my chest.
I had a few hours break after that. It was nice, but bad at the same time, since I knew it meant I would be done later too. So I sat in my adjusted hammock and read about America. I came close to falling asleep. That thing has the potential for some great naps. Not ideal for studying.
Lunch nearly made me vomit. Luckily, I had my trusty copy of The California Aggie, so I could hold it in. Actually, it wasn't that bad. Not as bad as yesterday, at least.
Math was pretty interesting. And by interesting, I mean not at all.
Professor Denis Grishin has a thick Russian accent and looks like he belongs in a cartoon. He has an oddly shaped head with buzzed red hair. His glasses were larger than post-it notes, although roughly that shape. They sat low on his face, so his eyes appeared only in the top quarter of the lenses. He would push them up with the back of his hand.
He wore grey dress slacks, no belt, that sat well above his belly button. That is, unless he has an abnormally high navel. His shirt was green and flannel, perfectly complementing nothing else he was wearing. And he wore Vans.
Aside from his dress, mannerisms, and pretty much everything about him, he's a relatively normal guy. He stutters in his speech and you can tell he's not very social. Although, I can picture him chillin' with his home dogs. Bein' cool, you know. Listenin' to "hip" music and groovin' to the tunes.
Actually, the man is a genius. He may have a modest approach to teaching the class, but he understands the material. Unlike the other classes, he actually started lecturing. And when one person had a question, he very effectively answered it, so much that I mentally applauded him for his explanation. It may or may not be a great class.
Afterwards, I went back to my room to play a little trumpet. As of next week, that time would be spent in Trumpet Ensemble, so I thought I'd get used to the idea. Realistically, Tony was out of the room and I was bored.
My New Testament class is one I am very anxious about. I got there plenty early, over twenty minutes. I got to observe all the other people though. I guess it didn't strike me that it actually is a class on the Bible and the type of people that class would attract, but I was a little surprised when I overheard some of the conversations. It seemed that most of the people there were SuperChristians, the kind of people that play guitar and go to youth group. I overheard someone ask another if they went to bible study last week. It was odd that it seemed everyone there was comfortable except for me.
Finally, Professor Hurst came in. The way he introduced the class made me rather excited. It will be interesting, there's no doubt. One of the first things he said was that we all come from different backgrounds when concerning the New Testament. Some people know nothing, and others think they know everything. But everyone will be surprised how much they don't know. The class is focused on the life and teachings of Jesus, but also on the works of the Apostles. He says we'll learn about the time back then in order to learn why they wrote what they wrote. Not surprisingly, he asked everyone to put his/her own theological beliefs away in order to learn from an objective view.
All content aside, he is a great lecturer. He cracks jokes, even biblical ones, making me laugh then realize how stupid it is to be laughing, not unlike music jokes. He keeps the class' attention well.
After class, I went back to my room and ate some trail mix. I need more things to eat. The balance bars are running low, and the granola is only edible in the morning when I'll eat anything (that's how the oatmeal squares got down... but don't even think of sending those). I went to the piano and played for quite a bit, when Patrick came in. Being done, I went with him to his room, where he proceeded to show me the banjo he got for Christmakah. Surprisingly (no, not at all), even though he's had it a week or so, he was rather proficient. I told him that we should start a band and play modern rock. I think I've been listening to too much They Might Be Giants. Silly ideas keep coming into my head.
Nearly going to dinner, Patrick decided to come along, then eventually the rest of the floor. This is the reason I don't usually eat with other people. It takes too long. I was intending on getting down there at 6, but the elevator only started moving at 6:39. So I hopped out and opted to get ready for meeting instead. Which means I am now ravening. Oh, I'll hold up.
Brandon came and picked me up right at 7. I gave him his present, The Metrosexual's Guide to Style, to which before opening said, "I'll bet it's something metrosexual." Good guess, Brandon. Way to ruin the surprise.
Meeting was very helpful, and despite being down a family, very long. It was nice to have a study that wasn't solely a chapter or two. The one thing that stuck out to me, for whatever reason, was that Lauren mentioned how the study was "Choices and Responsibility" not "Choices and Consequences." Probably since I was just looking at the study list and noticing that most of the other studies are opposites. Whatever. It was nice.
Brandon and I stayed afterwards quite a bit, chatting with the Greenways. Brandon stayed because he knew I had a present for them, but didn't realize that it was in his car, the keys to which were in his pocket the entire time. So we got a nice chat with Daryl and Lois. And they enjoyed their olives and oil.
When I got back to the dorms, everybody was getting ready for a night at the Grad. Apparantly there is a party or something of that sort going on there tonight. I should have asked Brandon if he wanted to go. Meh, I'm too hungry for that. I need to rest up. And that hammock is right here...
I woke up to the soothing sounds of my alarm's beeping at a beautiful 8:15. Having dressed and whatnot, I headed to Chem 194 15 minutes early to ensure a good seat. Front and center, a place I'm well used to, especially in that building.
We mostly went over the syllabus, policy, and the usual first day activities. No actual learning. To make the day interesting, however, he decided to give a demonstration.
As a requirement of Chemistry professors, Professor Kelly likes to blow things up. He has that devilish grin and laugh when it comes to explosives. Because of this nature, it was a moderately poor idea for me to sit in the front row.
He had three balloons filled with various gasses. The first was filled with a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen. He proceeded to stick a match underneath the balloon.
I might mention that beforehand he anounced that if there are any students who can't handle loud noises to move to the back of the classroom or leave. Come to think of it, he probably should have included those with motion sickness or the pregnant. I'm sure that's a law, at least here in California.
Anyway, the balloon exploded. It wasn't so much an explosion as it was an atomic blast. Sure, it didn't blow up anything, but it probably should have. It sent a pulse throughout the giant lecture hall. I could feel my chest go in then out. The chalk on the board rippled off the board, leaving a cloud for quite a while afterwards. Not to mention, it was louder than when some guys launched a water balloon at the door in the study lounge while I was inside.
Then he lit the balloon containing pure oxygen. It broke.
Then he lit the balloon containing pur hydrogen. A big ball of fire took its place. Impressive, but not something I could feel in my chest.
I had a few hours break after that. It was nice, but bad at the same time, since I knew it meant I would be done later too. So I sat in my adjusted hammock and read about America. I came close to falling asleep. That thing has the potential for some great naps. Not ideal for studying.
Lunch nearly made me vomit. Luckily, I had my trusty copy of The California Aggie, so I could hold it in. Actually, it wasn't that bad. Not as bad as yesterday, at least.
Math was pretty interesting. And by interesting, I mean not at all.
Professor Denis Grishin has a thick Russian accent and looks like he belongs in a cartoon. He has an oddly shaped head with buzzed red hair. His glasses were larger than post-it notes, although roughly that shape. They sat low on his face, so his eyes appeared only in the top quarter of the lenses. He would push them up with the back of his hand.
He wore grey dress slacks, no belt, that sat well above his belly button. That is, unless he has an abnormally high navel. His shirt was green and flannel, perfectly complementing nothing else he was wearing. And he wore Vans.
Aside from his dress, mannerisms, and pretty much everything about him, he's a relatively normal guy. He stutters in his speech and you can tell he's not very social. Although, I can picture him chillin' with his home dogs. Bein' cool, you know. Listenin' to "hip" music and groovin' to the tunes.
Actually, the man is a genius. He may have a modest approach to teaching the class, but he understands the material. Unlike the other classes, he actually started lecturing. And when one person had a question, he very effectively answered it, so much that I mentally applauded him for his explanation. It may or may not be a great class.
Afterwards, I went back to my room to play a little trumpet. As of next week, that time would be spent in Trumpet Ensemble, so I thought I'd get used to the idea. Realistically, Tony was out of the room and I was bored.
My New Testament class is one I am very anxious about. I got there plenty early, over twenty minutes. I got to observe all the other people though. I guess it didn't strike me that it actually is a class on the Bible and the type of people that class would attract, but I was a little surprised when I overheard some of the conversations. It seemed that most of the people there were SuperChristians, the kind of people that play guitar and go to youth group. I overheard someone ask another if they went to bible study last week. It was odd that it seemed everyone there was comfortable except for me.
Finally, Professor Hurst came in. The way he introduced the class made me rather excited. It will be interesting, there's no doubt. One of the first things he said was that we all come from different backgrounds when concerning the New Testament. Some people know nothing, and others think they know everything. But everyone will be surprised how much they don't know. The class is focused on the life and teachings of Jesus, but also on the works of the Apostles. He says we'll learn about the time back then in order to learn why they wrote what they wrote. Not surprisingly, he asked everyone to put his/her own theological beliefs away in order to learn from an objective view.
All content aside, he is a great lecturer. He cracks jokes, even biblical ones, making me laugh then realize how stupid it is to be laughing, not unlike music jokes. He keeps the class' attention well.
After class, I went back to my room and ate some trail mix. I need more things to eat. The balance bars are running low, and the granola is only edible in the morning when I'll eat anything (that's how the oatmeal squares got down... but don't even think of sending those). I went to the piano and played for quite a bit, when Patrick came in. Being done, I went with him to his room, where he proceeded to show me the banjo he got for Christmakah. Surprisingly (no, not at all), even though he's had it a week or so, he was rather proficient. I told him that we should start a band and play modern rock. I think I've been listening to too much They Might Be Giants. Silly ideas keep coming into my head.
Nearly going to dinner, Patrick decided to come along, then eventually the rest of the floor. This is the reason I don't usually eat with other people. It takes too long. I was intending on getting down there at 6, but the elevator only started moving at 6:39. So I hopped out and opted to get ready for meeting instead. Which means I am now ravening. Oh, I'll hold up.
Brandon came and picked me up right at 7. I gave him his present, The Metrosexual's Guide to Style, to which before opening said, "I'll bet it's something metrosexual." Good guess, Brandon. Way to ruin the surprise.
Meeting was very helpful, and despite being down a family, very long. It was nice to have a study that wasn't solely a chapter or two. The one thing that stuck out to me, for whatever reason, was that Lauren mentioned how the study was "Choices and Responsibility" not "Choices and Consequences." Probably since I was just looking at the study list and noticing that most of the other studies are opposites. Whatever. It was nice.
Brandon and I stayed afterwards quite a bit, chatting with the Greenways. Brandon stayed because he knew I had a present for them, but didn't realize that it was in his car, the keys to which were in his pocket the entire time. So we got a nice chat with Daryl and Lois. And they enjoyed their olives and oil.
When I got back to the dorms, everybody was getting ready for a night at the Grad. Apparantly there is a party or something of that sort going on there tonight. I should have asked Brandon if he wanted to go. Meh, I'm too hungry for that. I need to rest up. And that hammock is right here...
0 Responses to “First Day O' Class”
Leave a Reply